KCK Woman Ticketed for Shooting at Trespasser in Backyard

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A 57-year old Kansas City, Kansas woman says she was protecting herself when she fired her gun at a man climbing over her back fence.

Police say she went too far and issued a city ticket for criminal use of a weapon.

Tonya Beck tells FOX 4 she didn't even know she faced city charges until we told her on Friday. She says police never gave her a ticket in person and in fact says that she was told she did the right thing - and now she's angry.

"Right now I'm really pissed," said Beck.

It was early Saturday when Beck says she saw a stranger climbing over her backyard fence. Beck says when he lunged at her, she shot at him with the .22 pistol she happened to be carrying.

"I actually thought I hit him, " said Beck. She didn't, but she was on certainly on edge after what happened the night before. Beck says someone was breaking into her basement while another man was at her side door.

She says that her dog chased the intruder out of her basement and the other man ran.

Kansas City, Kansas, Police officers responded to the burglary, but Beck says they didn't dust for fingerprints and police admit that they didn't even write a report until the next day when Beck called them again, after shooting at the stranger on the fence.

"I'm relieved I had my gun, because if not I don't know what would've happened to me," said Beck.

So Beck wasn't at all happy when FOX 4 told her police records indicate she'd been given a summons for criminal use of a weapon. A KCK Police Department public information officer told FOX 4 that according to their report, Beck told police she fired the weapon into the ground after the man turned to run away - something Beck denies saying.

"If I shot it in the ground, they would've found the casing," said Beck.

Beck says she was never given a ticket in person and says there's no way she should face a misdemeanor summons.

"No I don't think it's fair to give me a ticket when I'm saving my life," said Beck. "They say that you're suppose to do save protect yourself if someone comes at you. It's the same as if they were in my home."

Kansas City Kansas city prosecutors tell Fox 4 that Beck is due in court August 20th.